Reviews

Sitting on the throne of techno lies the Moby, an anonymous DJ who revealed himself from behind the turntables and stepped into the light of fame, aided by his love of scoring movie soundtracks and coining a unique style of techno. His music – which brings together disco beats, punk rock speed, and anthemic lyrics – is worth the attention. Richard Melville Hall’s stage name was created after his childhood nickname, given to him in reference to his relation with Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick. Moby’s personal life pulls him away from his music culture; practicing spirituality, veganism, and…

Formed on the tropical island Oahu in 2009, reggae band The Green has been on the fast track for mainstream, or should we say, mainland success. Secluded 2,000 miles away from the continent, the group formed a loyal following in their home state of Hawaii. After having some fun and achieving local success, the group decided to record songs. Check out their breakthrough single, “Love I,” from their self-titled debut album, The Green, named iTunes' Best Reggae Album of the Year in 2010. Not bad for a freshman album. Since then, The Green has been spreading their Hawaiian vibes to…

The Gaslight Anthem are known for their americana punk style, almost to the point where anything outside of that sound would be pretty noticeable. When the band released their fifth studio album, Get Hurt, back in August, the differences between it and their previous releases stood out. However, while it is a change, the album is still a very well executed venture into a tougher side of the band that holds up to the rest of their body of work. Get Hurt takes a detour from the typical Gaslight sound, bringing in something darker and more controlled. As singer Brian…

Yasemin Mori is the Turkish Bjork. There, i said it. People moan when I or anyone else says it, but the fact is she breaks the mould, cuts through the crap, and does her own thing, much in the same way that the Icelandic pixie started two decades before. This is high praise, basically. So what sets them apart? Well frankly Yasemin Mori is angry, for different reasons – be it at new president Tayyip Erdogan’s steady, insistent pressure upon her human rights as a woman, or how her last boyfriend fucked her over – Mori remembers, and makes…

There has been a lot of hype over Long Island, New York blues-rockers NGHBRS in the last year. When they released the video to their single “Hold Up Girl,” it was being lauded by everyone for it's uniqueness and creativity. It was even compared to OK GO's videos by none other than the Wall Street Journal. But the hype is well warranted. NGHBRS put out an outstanding debut album, Twenty One Rooms, back in July 2013. The band's sound is pure rock mixed with bluesy guitar riffs and a polished garage feel. Single “Hold Up Girl” is the epitome of…

Turkish electronic-pop duo Portecho are the proud owners of at least one bona fide classic song in “Permanent Runaways.” High praise I know, but in a country not exactly known for producing implacable Kraftwerk-meets-Neu-meets-Bowie-meets MGMT magic, “Runaways,” lead track from their Motherboy album, Portecho achieved just that. Impressive on first listen, PR just gets better and better, subtly delivering its nuanced-yet-enervating charm over and over again. Gradually, you fall head over heels in love with it. The crisp, tight, early 80s motorik drum motif leads into vocalist Tan Tuncag’s (pronounced ‘tuun-chaah’) desperate but hopeful tale of persuading his companion to…

The 1990s were a turning point for rock. The success of alternative, grunge, and heavy metal bands of the early 90s paved the way for the punk and ska movement to gain momentum as the new millennium approached. Sub-genre after sub-genre were being created during this mishmash of a decade. Coming out of New York City during this time, The Slackers sampled many vibes from the smorgasbord that was 90s rock. Influenced by alternative music and ska, the group created their own unique style described by bandleader Vic Ruggiero as "Jamaican Rock N' Roll." Ever since 1991, the group…

Piano rockers Korbee have been releasing music together for only a brief time, but have been getting a lot of attention for their sound and personnel. If the name Jenn Korbee sounds familiar to you, that’s because she has been in the public eye before. In the past, she has danced around on television as a member of Hi-5, has had various acting gigs in movies and on television throughout the years, and, along with her husband, made it through the Hollywood round on the eighth season of the popular singing show American Idol. She also released a country album,…

Reality singing competitions have spread like wildfire, giving a platform for talented young artists to showcase their abilities in cities across the globe. Most recently, The Voice has gained popularity for focusing their competition purely on talent and not looks. With blind auditions, judges are forced to select competitors based on what they hear and not what they see, which has proved refreshing. In this year's Voice van Vlaanderen, the Belgium spin-off, the competition has launched the career of 18 year-old Seppe De Rooij, who happens to have both voice and charm. The young Flemish artist has all the…

New Orleans is one of those places that has always been the epitome of cool, way cooler than the booze and boob and tourist fest that is Mardi Gras every year. The city is content to slip in and out of the limelight, with the people there always knowing that there’s no where else in the world like it. Recently, the city’s cool creepiness has been getting some attention from shows like American Horror Story: Coven and True Detective. The darkness and the history that’s focused on in those series is an aspect of New Orleans that’s been inspiring artists…

The hauntingly beautiful voice of Mikky Ekko (born John Stephen Sudduth) is just enough to put anyone in a carefree trance and temporarily lift the weight of the world off of your shoulders. The soothing vocals of Ekko were featured on the 2013 track “Stay,” a single off of Rihanna’s seventh studio album titled Unapologetic. In fact, along with English songwriter Justin Parker, Mikky Ekko originally wrote the song “Stay.” It became Ekko’s first charting material and the breakout hit that kick-started his career as a singer. Mikky Ekko was originally known for his songwriting…

The Story So Far are a pop-punk group from Walnut Creek, California that have emerged as Warped Tour favorites in the past couple years. Their latest full-length release, What You Don’t See, was produced by Steven Klein of New Found Glory, a band that The Story So Far have toured with and definitely serve as an influence to the younger carriers of that strange torch that is the pop-punk genre. READ MORE

The family affair known as Sheppard have been taking Australia's airwaves by storm over the last six months with the release of their mega single “Geronimo.” Now, the band is looking to break the song in the US, and what better place to do that than with an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres show. Formed in Brisbane in 2009, siblings George and Amy Sheppard started the band when Amy overheard George singing and proposed a collaboration. Taking on their younger sister Emma on bass and fellow musicians Jay Bovino (guitar),…

Have you ever wanted to rock out to your favorite Disney songs growing up? No, seriously, rock out to classics such as “Kiss the Girl” (Little Mermaid), “Beauty and the Beast” (Beauty and the Beast), “Colors of the Wind” (Pocahontas) and “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (Toy Story). Well, California based Suburban Legends is a ska band that is sure to get the party going with their fun loving renditions of our beloved Disney classics. Suburban Legends formed in 1998 in Huntington Beach, California but they later moved to Santa Ana, where the band is currently based. Location change…

On July 22nd, Anberlin released their seventh and final album, Lowborn. So far it has received positive feedback from critics, being described as strong, chaotic, and emotive. After twelve years, this alternative rock band is going out on the right note. Anberlin started in 2002 in Winter Haven, Florida, with their current line-up featuring Stephen Christian (lead vocals), Joseph Milligan (guitar), Christian McAlhaney (guitar), Deon Rexroat (bass), and Nathan Young (drums). When the band first started, they signed on to Tooth & Nail Records and under that label released their…